


Jessie Carstairs - the Mysteries of the London Institute

by TessaTheDreamer



Category: The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Last Hours Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: 1899, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Jem is healthy, London, Multi, Victorian, baby Carstairs in the 1800s, or more like 1900s
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 19:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20120155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TessaTheDreamer/pseuds/TessaTheDreamer
Summary: Jem never thought he could have a perfect life, but after a cure finds its way to him, he finally can. Then his daughter is born - Jessamine Carstairs. And her life of adventure is only beginning.





	Jessie Carstairs - the Mysteries of the London Institute

**Author's Note:**

> This work is dedicated to daisyherxndale on Tumblr

The evening was cold and dark. Clouds hid the city of London from the sun’s gaze, while the falling snow covered it with a soft, white blanket.

Jem Carstairs sat in the library of the London Institute with a baby in his arms and a pile of letters by his side. The baby girl was, luckily, asleep. Still, the dim witchlight and the weight of the child didn't make managing Institute business any easier. 

Tessa was off to Magnus for her magic lessons. He took up trying to teach her how to harness the power inside her and not be afraid of it. She took a break, while pregnant with Jem’s daughter, but she was back, more determined to learn than ever. Will, on the other hand, had wandered off to deal with some urgent business, whatever that meant.

He looked up from the -- he had to admit -- dull letter from Charlotte Fairchild, the Consul, as the door to the library creaked open. Will stepped inside, clutching an opened letter in his hand and a walking stick in the other. He walked over to Jem and set the envelope on the table in front of him.

“Lucie sent a letter from France. She’s become quite close to your niece, Cordelia. Wrote two whole pages about how joyous it is spending time with her,” Will said, “You should read it. It’s quite poetic.”

Jem let out a soft laugh. “She takes  _ that  _ after her father, I’m sure,” he said.

“The poetic writing or the love for the Carstairs family?” Will said with a chuckle.

Jem just smiled.

“Do you want me to take Jessie off of you? I don’t think Charlotte would condone working with a baby in your arms.”

“Since when do you listen to what Charlotte says?” Jem laughed and handed his daughter to Will.

Will cradled Jessie in his arms and went to sit down in a chair opposite Jem. 

He looked down at her and started humming a melody he heard Jem play once on his violin.

Jem couldn’t help, but stare at the two. Will - his Will - looked so much older and more mature than the teenage boy he met, what felt like, centuries ago. His face now donned wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, right where his skin crinkled when he smiled. Though his hair was still black and tousled, now falling over his eyes - eyes which were still bright blue, loving and mischievous. With Jessie in his arms he looked at peace. 

Jessie had awoken and was reaching to grab Will’s hair with her tiny hands. She looked so beautiful - so much like Tessa; the crinkled nose when she was focused on a task, the first signs of dark brown hair on her head...

“What are you thinking about, Jem?” Will asked.

“I never dreamt I could have a life this perfect,” Jem said.

“Don’t be so soppy, James,” Will laughed, but it was filled with love and understanding, as if he was trying to say,  _ I never thought I could have a life this perfect either _ , but all he said was: “Come on, Jessie, let’s go for a walk, so we don’t disturb your Dad’s very important work. Aunt Charlotte wouldn’t condone that kind of behaviour.”

Jem felt a rush of joy as Will smiled at Jessie, then at him, and left the room, rocking the baby in his arms.

It only took Will a couple of minutes to be bored of walking around the dark corridors of the Institute with Jessie and he was sure she was bored of it too. Her round light grey eyes were looking around the corridor, while her small arms tried to reach Will’s shirt collar.

Will found a couple of blankets and wrapped them around Jessie, then, with his own outdoor coat on, stepped outside the door of the Institute and sat on the stone steps. Jessie was immediately enthralled by the falling snowflakes and trying to catch them with her tiny hands. She laughed in the pure way infants laugh.

Someone appeared next to Will, through the person didn’t look human. The ghost of Jessamine Lovelace sat by Will’s side, looking at her namesake. Will glanced at her in a silent greeting.

“I was honoured when James and Tessa named their first child after me,” she said, leaning over Will to bring her hand to Jessie’s cheek. 

Jessie tried to catch it with her hand, though Will was pretty sure she was only trying to catch the snow falling through it.

“I’d say they just panicked. They probably thought their first child would be a boy so they could name him William,” Will said. 

Jessamine shook her head, smiling. 

“I’m glad my namesake is beautiful,” she said offhandedly.

“She looks like Jem,” Will added, “though he claims she looks like Tessa. Both could be true.” He shrugged.

“I’m sure she’ll be as great of a warrior as both of them too. Maybe even a greater one,” Jessamine said, then stood up and leant over the baby, who had stopped playing with the snow, “I will look over you, Jessamine Carstairs. You’ll do great things, I’m sure of it.”

She straightened up, brushing off whatever dust a ghost can from her dress, and disappeared into the air.


End file.
